The Big House is a children's book with much to say to adult readers. On one level it is a charming and absorbing fantasy novel with a fairy hill, a Brounie and an enchanted piper all drawn from Celtic myth and legend, set in a West Highland village which is clearly Carradale in Kintyre, Naomi Mitchison's home for many years. On another level it is an examination of the social relationships in such a village at the time (it was first published in 1950), and this too is rooted in Mitchison's Carradale life. Su from the Big House and Winkie the fisherman's son have the same ancestry and their time-travel adventures show that their respective positions have changed back and forth over the years. Why should there be any difference between them now? Moira Burgess is a novelist, short story writer and literary historian who lives in Glasgow, but was brought up in Kintyre, the setting of The Big House. She is the author of Mitchison's Ghosts (Humming Earth, 2008), on supernatural and mythical elements in the writing of Naomi Mitchison, and is working on a collected edition of Mitchison's essays and journalism to be published in several volumes by Kennedy & Boyd.
About the AuthorNaomi Mitchison [1897-1999] was a literary phenomenon. Tireless in her writing, and unafraid and often highly unconventional in her opinions, she left an extraordinary legacy. There are novels for adults and children, based on the classical ancient world, and on the immediately contemporary, stressing at different times her deep interest in Scottish and African societies, and her concerns for the future. She also wrote poetry and plays, memoirs, a war diary, political articles and reviews, and non-fiction - dealing with issues as different as birth control, North Sea Oil and GM crops. The Naomi Mitchison Library publishes her most significant works of fiction and biography, as well as background material and commentary.
Book InformationISBN 9781849210430
Author Naomi MitchisonFormat Paperback
Page Count 174
Imprint Kennedy And BoydPublisher Zeticula Ltd
Series The Naomi Mitchison LibraryWeight(grams) 264g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 10mm